Wales coach Warren Gatland spent the early hours of Tuesday morning glued to the television as he worried about relatives in Christchurch who may have been caught up in the earthquake.

Speaking at yesterday's press conference at Wales’ Six Nations training camp based in the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel ahead of this weekend’s clash with Italy, he revealed his thoughts were “with the people of Christchurch and New Zealand”.

He said: “Definitely my thoughts are with the people of Christchurch and New Zealand at the moment.

“I think 65 – at the moment – are confirmed dead and they are expecting that toll to rise significantly.

“I had a text at about two in the morning and turned the TV on and watched it for about three hours, so I’ve just been following the events.

“We have got some family out there as well that we’ve had messages they are okay.”

Gatland said the communities of Christchurch and Wales were comparable and that people in Wales would sympathise with the tragedy.

“My thoughts are definitely with the people of Christchurch and know it is very close community like Wales in terms of size and population.

“I think a lot of Welsh people will sympathise with the devastation that’s caused in Christchurch,” he said.